Some of the Manta Team before an event Edi and Bagner working hard at a refugee camp Noemi and Mariana playing with the kids at a refugee camp Mariana and I before Church The Manta team threw us a goodbye party Friends, Family and Supporters, Although many of you are already aware, Justin and I are officially announcing that we will be returning to the United States on August 11th. We had plans to stay here in Quito until September, but due to my grandmother’s death and memorial service plans, have changed. We have completed our two year agreement with Extreme Nazarene Missions and are excited to announce that we will be starting a new chapter in our lives. We are still seeking out God’s guidance and direction in this new chapter and would welcome your prayers in the realm of decisions that will come with this time of transition. The past two years have been filled with many memories, new friends and experiences. I am glad we could share most of them with you on this blog and if you would like to hear more we would love to catch a coffee with you sometime. Please just send us a personal email at [email protected] if you would like to get a hold of us. If you are currently donating, we are asking that you could end your donations after the month of August, as we will still be working stateside until the official end of our contract. If you are still feeling called to give monetarily to a missionary or missionaries, please know there is need. Justin and I were able to spend the past few weeks with the Manta church plant, which is only four weeks old. There are six South Americans on the team who could use monthly or even one time support. The cost to keep them on the field winning hearts for Christ is $250 per month, but even a small donation of $5 per month makes a huge difference. Please follow the link to read their profiles and donate: https://www.extremenazarene.org/location/manta/ The names of the 40/40 missionaries needing monthly support are: Edi Gallegos, Wagner Preciado, Isaac Rodriguez, Mishell Soriano, Mariana Ojeda and Noemi Galarza. You can find their profiles on the link...

This Friday I had the opportunity to join the Argentina team in hiking to the top of Rucu Pichincha. We started our journey by taking a gondola up to 13,000 feet, and then we began the long hike. It took us a total of six hours to do the hike and we climbed to a height of 15,413 feet. Check it out: I tried my hand at Time Lapsing for my first time...

A lot of people have predisposed ideas of what missionaries do. We sleep on cots, live in the jungle, commute in canoes and overall everything is different than a first world country. Since the only time I have taken a canoe down a river (instead of a taxi, car or bus) was on a tour led by a tour guide, I thought it would be better if I gave you a clearer look into my day to day routine here in Ecuador. We wake up around 6 am to get ready for the day and do some devotions (I will be honest and say sometimes it maybe a little later for me). We walk about fifteen minutes to work. Instead of using machetes or a canoe through the jungle, it is actually more like dodging cars and traffic while keeping my laptop dry when I run across the street with it in my backpack. On our later mornings, we stop by a bakery and buy breakfast on our way to work. I usually start working a little after eight am. My current tasks have included insurance claims (which there have been a lot of lately), answering emails concerning small health problems, making doctor’s appointments for people here in Quito and making sure that everyone has the correct immunizations. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I take two different buses (about 45 minutes to an hour commute) to a local orphanage where I spend a couple of hours playing with children. In the future, I hope to blog more about this, because it has really been a blessing to be a part of these children’s lives and to spend time with them. There are two different houses for kids there so I split my time between them. On Tuesdays, I play with and feed the babies who are all under two. On Thursdays I wrestle with the kids between two and five. Afterwards, myself and my pepper spray walk down to the main street to find a taxi that is willing to take me across town for a decent price. I pick up my Spanish teacher on the way to class and together we go to another missionary’s house where two of us try to further our Spanish. I get back to my apartment usually between eight and nine, get some rest and then wake up to do it again. Of course, being the nurse/medical coordinator that I am here sometimes my schedule can vary. I can be awakened in the middle of the night or called while in the middle of work at the office and then everything is put aside. This...

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS! A year ago at this time, who would of thought that we would be sending all of our friends and family Christmas greetings from Quito, Ecuador. We hope that this letter finds your family happy and well. Our lives have been forever changed by our experiences here in Ecuador as well as the people around us. Of course when we arrived in early September, life was full of culture shock and a foreign language, but now it is already December and we are finishing up Spanish school and gearing up to start work in January. We want to thank all of you for supporting us in this crazy life God has chosen for us. We could not have made it here without your support. We have been very fortunate during this time of Spanish school to participate in many activities and trips throughout Ecuador. Though the most memorable trip of them all has been the one to Ambato, Ecuador where we were able to see and experience what God is doing through Extreme Nazarene. We were able to pray for people (in Spanish) and to share our testimonies with them, share a snack, and invite people to church. Right now we are celebrating Christmas Eve with another missionary family and getting used to our new apartment. We hope you and your family’s are doing well. Merry Christmas! Justin and...

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We are missionaries with Extreme Nazarene serving in Quito, Ecuador. Justin is a Software programmer, and Krista is a Health coordinator setting up short-term medical mission trips and keeping everyone healthy!